I called rain out for the parade early morning on the 4th. I was quickly labeled a party pooper. I knew there was no sense telling Grandpa to fire up the Internet and see that it's gonna rain all day so we all loaded up the truck like it was a parade and drove to Round Top. Near Round Top we got caught behind the trail riders who had not been deterred in the slightest. I think they were having more fun than years past as a matter of fact.

After about ten minutes behind the horses and after I pointed out that the ditches where we normally park were full of water Grandpa finally threw in the soggy towel and headed back towards Bleiblerville. Riding in a truck driven by a nearly eighty year old man in a torrential rainfall during holiday traffic on winding country roads is more exhilarating than almost almost drowning while body surfing the Gulf.

We sailed back by the house to pick up Grandma and headed out again for Kinney to eat BBQ. We have been a bit dissatisfied with he BBQ at Round Top the past few years so we had already planned to go eat at Kinney this year after the parade anyway. Someone scorched the beans a few years ago at Round Top and they have never recovered from that.

Well, it rained the whole time, parking was at a premium, and everyone was crowding inside Kinney hall to eat--but the BBQ was good. There was a real life traffic jam in Kinney probably for the first time in recorded history and we were smack dab in the middle of it. On the menu was beef, mutton, and pork along with beans, German tators, red sauce ("It's not sauce, it's gravy" claimed a sign near the pits) and the usual sides. Though I didn't care much for the mutton, the BBQ was otherwise pretty darn good. Grandpa says you have to eat the mutton while it's hot or it's no good. He assures me it was pretty good.

Former Harris County District Attorney John B Holms, the one with the handlebar mustache, was spinning the number wheel for the cake walk that was just getting underway as we finished eating. I stopped to watch him work the wheel for awhile and was quite amused. Talk about an incongruity. To me it seemed he eyeballed everyone at the table suspiciously and cast a stern look in everyone's general direction as if to say, "There'll be no cheating at this here table. Any cheating at this cake walk and you have to deal with me, pardner." I should have took his photo but I didn't bring my camera out in the rain.

So Leon Hale, who lives out in Winedale just near Round Top, is a regular patron of the Round Top parade and BBQ and the Wife says, "It's like every little community has a resident celebrity."

We all laughed and I said, "Well Johnny Holmes' BBQ beats Leon Hales'."

We didn't stay at Kinney very long because it was too crowded inside the hall and the courteous thing to do is to vacate your seat so other people can sit down to eat. They had no oompah band in Kinney; only a guy sitting under a tarp with a little home stereo and speakers blasting out German and Bohemian music, between which I have been informed there is a subtle but noticeable difference.

One of the main draws at Round Top is the oompah band. The Round Top parade has been going on for over a hundred years and this band has been around almost as long. They play Patriotic music off the chart. New members join when a seat opens and a seat opens when one of the old band members kick the bucket.

We give a solid nod to Round Top for entertainment value but Kinney has the edge on the BBQ. Kinney is near Blieblerville so next year we are planning to do the parade and then eat at Kinney but I think I might queer the deal towards eating at Round Top. It's not like we are not going to be eating like Kings and Sultans for the rest of the day. Besides, that oompah band is hard to beat.

So we retreated to Bleiblerville for dessert and a nap. Well I had dessert and a nap. There was another shindig coming up at 4:00, rain or shine, and I needed my rest. It was a family get together down the road in Bleiblerville featuring another BBQ and fireworks display. The Wife's cousin, John Jr, is a lifelong pyromaniac and puts on a heck of a show. John Jr's boy is a chip off the old block and I told the Wife they should have named him John Jr Jr.

I love going to the country and spending a few days amongst the good folks who live their lives much like they lived generations ago. Unfortunately it's a dying way of life I think. I have seen it at all the events we've attended over the many years; the fellowship is primarily old people, a few middle-aged couples with kids, and only a smattering of young folk.

When was the last time someone stopped by your house just to drop off a sack of tomatoes and a warm pie?

Luckily the rain cleared by the evening and annual 4th of July fireworks show went on as planned. I heard it was spectacular.

1. Jo07/07/2007 12:08:36 PM

You missed an impressive battle reenactment. Roman candles, bottle rockets and the like, ignited from opposite sides and reflected over the dark, still waters of Uncle Johnny's stock tank.

Best wishes and prayers to my cousin, Matt Clark, and his family who are leaving for a new Naval assignment in Hawaii this week. It was priceless, watching our kids play together like we'd done years ago.

---